My dad gave me this cactus maybe 5 or 6 years ago as a cutting. It’ hasn’t grown much or done anything. Then recently little pups have popped up and last night I saw a flower bud. I didn’t notice it earlier because it’s kind of out of the way in a non-watering area. Then this morning…..

late bloomer cactus!

So vibrant. So as long as I had the camera out I thought I’d show you the current state of the plants in my back yard:

Here is one of the night bloomers. Second go around this summer. Two blooms opened last night!

cereus

And I don’t know what this is. These were on sale at Home Depot so I took a chance…

cheery flower

And this guy….

bryophyllum daigremontianum

Also known as a “mother of thousands”, this bryophyllum daigremontianum is about 48 inches tall and will have some interesting flowers later in the year.

And the Basil…

Basil

And for lunch I made a fluffy omelet with this basil, sliced grape tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. So good!

spruce cone cactus

I have a few of these but this one is going crazy. He has been growing straight up all year, then last week he appeared to fall on his side. But now he has turned himself back to fast the other direction. Love him!

mexican fencepost cactus

portuclaca

I don’t know what this is. A friend gave me the cuttings a month ago and he’s really doing great.

cactus

And here! a locust exoskeleton on a carrion plant!

carrion plant

And it’s a good thing the yard is big, because in between all these plants we need room for this:

it’s the little things really, the surprises, the small flashes of color, that make life enjoyable.

so, about 6 years ago my neighbor gave me a bunch of cuttings from succulents where she had been house sitting. one was a 6 inch long sprig of christmas cactus. i stuck it in a pot, way too large for the wimpy thing, and put it inside on a book shelf at the window overlooking the front step. the other plants, stayed outside where they are flourishing to this day.

on the phone with my mom that week i was telling her about my new plants. when i mentioned the christmas cactus she made a point of letting me know that ….it was going to die. they never live, according to her.

it has filled the pot. it has flourished, but nary a blossom.

i mentioned the little things. how they are so important for happiness. when you’re hurried and stressed, that is when you notice the little things the least. but that is when you need to notice them the most.

christmas eve i was rushing to pack the car to get out of town. home from work, wrap the gifts, make sure all the dog’s meds are packed, will the car make the drive, yadda yadda.

a flash of pink out of the corner of my eye as i walk out the door. “what the?”

2 blossoms and 3 buds. i called my mother, elated, of course!

by the time i got back many blossoms had appeared.

isn’t it beautiful? the pads were covered in dust. i took it outside and dusted it with a soft paint brush, then put it on my honda for some photos.

strong winds have knocked down one of the 50 year old cacti in my front yard today. it toppled right into the driveway and i almost drove right over it. some of you may remember this large cactus from our long-horned cactus beetles love episode.

how sad…and right before valentine’s day.

you see, the beetles would hang upside down from the tender leaves of the creosote bush, shaded from the afternoon sun by the cactus. after they had . . . procreated they would go out for a bite to eat. and eat all night long. eat eat eat. you could actually hear them chomping!

it probably weighs around 100 pounds. i’ll have to break it up with a shovel to move it. and since there is no time tonight….let’s all just hope i don’t forget about it and back over that bad boy in the a.m. that would be quite a kick in the pants!

i have lived in this house 7 years and have never seen this one cactus bloom. i’ve been watching it for days, just assuming there would be some bee activity. finally, this morning, two bees which i believe are some sort of tiny augochlorini were exploring the many layers of this brilliant flower.

the bees were very small. i wasn’t even sure they were actually bees till i blew up the shots.

the two blooms hadn’t even fully opened yet, but the bees appeared to be embarking on some sort of journey to the center of the flower.

aren’t they amazing flowers? and the metallic blue and green of the bees….?

here is what the flower will look like later today…

that was yesterday’s bloom. it lived one day. today there are two flowers and they will never open again. I think there are 4 or 5 more buds to go. i may try my smaller lens tomorrow and just get closer….

thanks for stopping by to view my bees. if you’re new and are interested in bees, please browse the blog for a while. i have some posts with picturs and notes on behavior of anthophorids and agapostemons. agapostemons are probably my favorite bee!